Dr Mark sat with team members having a team meeting outdoors, discussing marketing excellence

Empowering Marketing Excellence

At Direction™, our mission is to establish enduring partnerships that propel marketing teams towards success. We integrate personal development, customer insight and brand optimisation to enhance overall performance.

Dr Mark having a conversation in a meeting room about marketing excellence building success for brands

Tailored Strategies for Success

Our approach combines research-backed methodologies and tailored coaching to empower teams, ensuring that each strategy aligns with specific organisational goals.

DISCOVER THE TEAM

EXPLORE OUR ACCREDITATION

Our Story

2019 - Founded as The Brand Strategy - a consultancy laser-focussed on the strategic decisions marketers require to deliver brands with excellence. Built from decades of client-side experience. Team grows to deliver to the rapidly increasing number of briefs received.

2020 - Launched market research division in recognition of almost all strategy briefs requiring up-to-date customer truths to fuel them. Became accredited to the Market Research Society.

2021 - HM Government launch 'Help to Grow: Management' delivered by over 60 leading business schools to more than 10,000 participants - containing marketing strategy module developed by Mark.

2023 - Recognising the importance of sustainability in business practice, the full team underwent Sustainability and Inclusive Leadership training accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project. Others also went on to accredit with the University of Oxford in Leading Sustainable Corporations.

2024 - Salutis was born with ALL Creative, recognising the huge benefit to health and wellness brands of integrating customer insight with creative development - enabling this specialist patient and healthcare professional insight to be handled by a focussed team.

2024 - In recognition of advising organisations at boardroom director level, Mark was awarded the Institute of Directors' Non-Executive Director of the Year at the national finals.

2025 - The Dryden Street office opened in Nottingham city centre.

2025 - Executive coaching was added to the portfolio with coaches qualified from Henley Business School's world-renowned Henley Coaching Centre.

2025 - The team won Most Sustainable ESG Brand Consultancy 2025 in the Business Elite Awards, recognising the significant effort to improve consumers' lives through enhancing brand experiences.

2025 - Voted for by programme participants, Mark won a teaching excellence award at the Student-Led Teaching Awards at Nottingham Trent University.

2026 - Doctor in marketing excellence, Mark Smith PhD successfully defended his thesis around how boardroom directors' decision making can positively transform consumers' lives.

2026 - In recognition of the wider services provided beyond The Brand Strategy element, with a mission of brand leaders achieving marketing excellence, the repositioned brand of Direction™ launched to market.

Dr Mark Smith PhD - accepting the Director of the Year Award from the Institute of Directors for services to supporting directors make the best decisions

Inspired Leadership

Mark is the person organisations call when they want their brand to break through, not just blend in. Known for bringing clarity to complexity, he has a rare ability to unite teams, shift thinking and uncover the strategic opportunities others miss.

His career has given him a commercial breadth that fuels bold and informed decision making.

Behind his practical impact lies deep expertise. Mark holds a PhD in marketing excellence and postgraduate qualifications in business, management and marketing. He has sharpened his leadership through executive programmes at the University of Oxford, Henley Business School and the Chartered Institute of Marketing, where he is a Fellow and Chartered Marketer.

He also represents the Institute of Directors as an Ambassador and serves as an Honorary Vice President of the Royal Life Saving Society UK.

Mark brings energy, strategic vision and a genuine commitment to helping people and brands thrive.

Lead Director & Advisor